Description
This edited volume examines the role of local civil society in shaping understandings and processes of transitional justice in Africa – a nursery of transitional justice ideas for well over two decades. It brings together practitioners and scholars with intimate knowledge of these processes to evaluate the agendas and strategies of local civil society, and offers an opportunity to reflect on ‘lessons learnt’ along the way. The contributors focus on the evolution and effectiveness of transitional justice interventions, providing a glimpse into the motivations and inner workings of major civil society actors.
The book presents an African perspective on transitional justice through a compilation of country-specific and thematic analyses of agenda setting and lobbying efforts. It offers insights into state–civil society relations on the continent, which shape these agendas. The chapters present case studies from Southern, Central, East, West and North Africa, and a rangeof moments and types of transition. In addition to historical perspective, the chapters provide fresh and up-to- date analyses of ongoing transitional justice efforts that are key to defining the future of how the field is understood globally, in theory and in practiceTable of Contents
Foreword. The Long Arc of Transitional Justice.- Editors’ Preface.-Introduction. The Role of Civil Society in African Transitional Justice: Comparing Theory and Practice.- Chapter 1. Locating Civil Society in Kenya’s Transitional Justice Agenda: A Reflection on the Experience of the Kenya Transitional Justice Network.- Chapter 2. Transitional Justice in Liberia: The Interface between Civil Society and the Liberian Truth and Reconciliation Commission.- Chapter 3. Taking Transitional Justice to the People: Challenges for Civil Society in Zimbabwe.- Chapter 4. Persistent Injuries, the Law and Politics: The South African Victims’ Support Group Khulumani and Its Struggle for Redress.- Chapter 5. Cooperation and Conflict: Civil Society Resistance and Engagement with Transitional Justice in Burundi.- Chapter 6. Madly Off in All Directions: Civil Society and the Use of Customary Justice as Transitional Justice in Uganda.- Chapter 7. Civil Society Engagement with Communities: Tradition, Authority and Transitional Justice in Rural African Communities.- Chapter 8. Navigating the Storm: Civil Society and Ambiguous Transitions in Egypt, Libya and Tunisia.- Conclusion. The Role of Civil Society in Shaping Transitional Justice in Africa.



